July 17, 2022 8:00 am
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Four years, five months and four days after Nikolas Cruz murdered 17 at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, his trial for the deadliest U.S. mass shooting to reach a jury begins Monday with opening statements. Delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and legal wrangling, the penalty-only trial is expected to last four months with the seven-man, five-woman jury being exposed to horrific evidence throughout. The jurors will then decide whether Cruz, 23, is sentenced to death or life without the possibility of parole. “Finally,” said Lori Alhadeff, who wants Cruz executed for murdering her 14-year-old daughter Alyssa. “I hope for swift action to hold him responsible.” All victim’s parents and family members who have spoken publicly have said directly or indirectly they want Cruz sentenced to death. The former Stoneman Douglas student pleaded guilty in October to the Feb. 14, 2018, massacre and is only challenging his sentence. Nine other U.S. gunmen who fatally shot at least 17 people died during or immediately after their attacks by suicide or police gunfire. Cruz was captured after he fled the school. The suspect in the 2019 killing of 23 at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart is awaiting trial.
July 17, 2022 7:52 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democrat John Fetterman posted a massive $11 million fundraising haul during the second quarter. He’s on an advertising spree that’s made him a near-constant presence on television in Pennsylvania. And he grabs attention with snarky, irreverent social media posts. The only thing missing from one of the most competitive U.S. Senate races this year is the candidate himself. Fetterman, 52, has yet to return to the campaign trail in a significant way since a May 13 stroke required surgery to implant a pacemaker with a defibrillator and prompted a revelation that he had a serious heart condition. The advertisements currently on the air were recorded before the stroke. He hasn’t fielded questions from the press. And when the hoodie- and shorts-wearing Fetterman did make a campaign appearance, it was under controlled circumstances and without advance notice to reporters.
July 17, 2022 3:50 am
A fifth defendant that was accused of attempted homicide had her charges dismissed on Friday. Desiree Valle, 19 of Monessen was set free from the Washington County Jail on Friday after witnesses for the prosecution failed to show for the preliminary hearing. The judge dismissed 5 charges of conspiracy to commit homicide The District Attorney’s office said that if any status changes, they will refile charges. According to police, Valle was involved with a group of individuals that were arguing with another group in Charleroi in April of this year. Timothy Pace came out of his Sixth Street home to try and diffuse the situation. When he and his sons were returning to their home, shots rang out, one of them grazing the head of Pace. Charges against four other defendants were dismissed at an earlier preliminary hearing. Three defendants, Kyrese Hall, Micha Craig and Omarion Rainey were ordered to stand trial. All three are being held without bond.
July 17, 2022 1:30 am
WASHINGTON, Pa. – Authorities are investigating the murder of a Tennessee teenager early Friday morning in Washington. The Washington County Coroner’s Office says autopsy results are pending on the body of nineteen-year-old Antonio Martinez of Clarksville, Tennessee. Washington City Police say Martinez was shot outside of the Jollick Manor Housing Complex just after midnight. He was taken to Washington Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police say they have identified a possible suspect but no arrests have been made and they are asking anyone with information or who may have witnessed the shooting to call them or 911.
July 17, 2022 1:18 am
Two children are among the six people who died in a Montana pileup after a Friday evening dust storm caused blackout conditions on Interstate 90, a major route in both Montana and the Western U.S. Montana Highway Patrol Sgt. Jay Nelson said investigators so far have found no other factors that contributed to the pileup that also sent eight other injured people to hospitals. The pileup was just west of Hardin, with additional ambulances called in from Billings to help. The identities of the dead and conditions of the survivors are not yet being released. The crash was reported around 4:30 p.m., as 21 vehicles, including six commercial semi-trucks, lost control in the dust storm that was fueled by gusts topping 60 mph (97 kph), authorities said. Nelson said there was zero visibility for a mile-long stretch during a peak summer traffic hour for those commuting home from work or traveling for outdoor recreation. It took more than six hours to fully reopen the road.
July 16, 2022 9:32 am
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) – Many Somalis are reacting with horror – and a sense of understanding – at British runner Mo Farah’s tale of being trafficked to Britain as a child and forced to look after other children. Olympic champion Farah was born in present-day Somaliland, a territory by the Gulf of Aden that has asserted independence from the Horn of Africa nation of Somalia. Here, in the Somali capital Mogadishu, those who have heard of Farah’s account express sadness for what he went through as a child forced to work in servitude. But they also point out that he is not alone.
July 16, 2022 9:28 am
NEW YORK (AP) – New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is among the most famous politicians in America, perhaps the most famous member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and it shows even in the most run-of-the-mill parts of the job. Ocasio-Cortez says in an interview that she wants to ensure she’s connected to her district and does not appear out-of-touch while having an outsized national profile. She’s building those local ties by holding town halls, steering earmarks to her district and helping constituents navigate government programs. That routine work lays the roots for a long congressional career, if that’s what she chooses to pursue.
July 16, 2022 9:24 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Two news outlets’ decision to release an excruciating 77-minute video this week showing police inaction during the Robb Elementary School mass shooting drew a harsh response from residents of Uvalde, Texas, even though they have sought this type of transparency for weeks. Families of the 19 children and two teachers killed by an 18-year-old gunman on May 24 said the Austin American-Statesman and KVUE-TV displayed insensitivity by releasing the video to the public before those directly affected had a chance to see it. The community’s response reflects the raw feelings directed toward reporters who came to Uvalde to probe what happened, and the reality that journalism often steps on toes.
July 16, 2022 9:22 am
MEXICO CITY (AP) – Mexican marines were closing in on infamous drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero deep in the mountains of his native state of Sinaloa. But it was a 6-year-old bloodhound named “Max” who rousted from the undergrowth the man allegedly responsible for the murder of a U.S. DEA agent more than three decades ago. While the United States’ motivation to find Caro Quintero was never in doubt – hence the $20 million reward for information leading to his capture – there was less certainty about the commitment of Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who had made clear his disinterest in pursuing drug lords, was less certain. Yet on Friday, three days after López Obrador and U.S. President Joe Biden met in the White House, the DEA’s most wanted target was in Mexican custody.
July 16, 2022 9:15 am
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) – President Joe Biden has told Arab leaders that the United States “will not walk away” from the Middle East. Biden spoke Saturday at a summit of Arab Gulf countries being held in Saudi Arabia. Biden pledged continued U.S. involvement in the region as he tries to help foster stability in a volatile corner of the world. The U.S. president is on the final leg of a four-day trip to the region. Hours before the summit, the White House released intelligence showing Russian officials have recently visited Iran to see weapons-capable drones it is looking to acquire to use against Ukraine.
